PG | Chapter 5: You Asked For It
by Quill“I…”
Aloissia hesitated, flustered.
Could she make such an important decision on her own?
Aloissia was an Esper of the empire. Her ability was a gift from the heavens, from the empire. The Imperial family and the temple had instilled this belief in her for years.
So, Aloissia had only ever used her power with the permission of the Empress and the High Priest. She had never once considered her mana her own or used it as she pleased.
“Thank you for the offer, but I can’t decide this on my own.”
“Why not?”
“First of all, I’m a citizen of the empire.”
“This is the first time I’ve heard of abilities having nationalities.”
“I don’t know what Her Majesty will say…”
“Espers and Guides have the right to use their abilities as they see fit.”
Aloissia looked up, surprised by Cassius’s confident words. Then, their gazes entangled in the air.
“I know what Your Highness desires.”
Aloissia saw her reflection in Cassius’s eyes.
“You desire my Guiding.”
His deep, resonant voice clung to her eardrums. Cassius unclasped his hands from behind his back and extended one towards her. Aloissia’s gaze was naturally drawn to his hand.
She knew that hand. The hand of the Guide who could quench her terrible thirst.
“I’ll give you as much Guiding as you want. In return, create a protective barrier for Bedua.”
A sweet and deadly temptation.
“If you want gold, I’ll give you gold. If you want a man to entertain you, I’ll give you a hundred. If you want power, I’ll give you Bedua itself.”
But you want me, don’t you?
Cassius added, smiling faintly.
“What will you do?”
Aloissia swallowed hard. Her heated gaze fixed on Cassius’s hand, and she slowly walked towards him.
* * *
Cassius Arslan was a shrewd man. He was strong, cool-headed, and quick to make rational decisions. His decisive nature was also one of his strengths.
When he received news of the Crown Prince of the Delatosa Empire’s death, he quickly assembled a delegation to offer condolences. He hadn’t had any ulterior motives when he arrived in the empire, leading Nur. He felt like he was only there for vacation.
That’s why he hadn’t given an immediate answer to the Empress’s marriage proposal. He had intended to relax and enjoy his stay in the empire. Though his sister, Roxanian, would nag him relentlessly upon his return to Bedua.
Summer was a time when monsters were relatively dormant, anyway. He would have to hunt monsters tirelessly during the winter, so he intended to savor this rare moment of leisure.
However, when he saw the Crown Princess of the empire…
He changed his mind.
Aloissia Ismene, the Crown Princess, the empire’s protector.
The first thing that came to Cassius’s mind when the Empress introduced her was, ‘She looks like a doll.’
He had already heard about the stunning beauty of the Imperial Crown Prince and Princess. There were even rumors that the Empress had brought them into the Imperial family solely for appearances, as a sort of public relations stunt.
However, while he didn’t know how handsome the late Crown Prince Felix was in life, the rumors about the Crown Princess were definitely not exaggerated.
Aloissia was a breathtakingly beautiful woman, so pure and elegant that it inspired involuntary admiration. Her delicate features were exquisite, whether examined individually or taken in as a whole. It was almost hard to believe that the Crown Princess was a real person, not a doll made of glass or porcelain.
And then there was her slender figure, as if she might break with a single touch, and her soft, gentle voice. It was a soft voice he could listen to all day.
If she had been simply beautiful, he would have admired her like a piece of art and moved on. There was no shortage of beautiful people in Bedua.
But the moment he held the Crown Princess’s hand…
Cassius was taken aback.
‘She’s been enduring in this terrible state?’
The Crown Princess’s body was a complete mess. The mana surging within her seemed ready to devour her at any moment.
She was ecstatic after receiving even less than a minute of Guiding. She was so overwhelmed with joy and relief at that tiny amount, it was almost pitiful.
Looking at her flushed, peach-colored cheeks, Cassius changed his plans.
The Crown Princess’s power was immense. The Princess offered by the Empress was a mere novice in comparison. When he kissed the Princess’s hand as a formality, he had sensed her mana was faint, almost nonexistent.
He had to bring the Crown Princess to Bedua.
That’s why he had been waiting for an opportunity to approach her. He had followed her to the temple after spotting her on a walk alone.
And yet…
“Ugh…!”
Just as he thought he had almost persuaded her, just as the Crown Princess was about to take his hand…
Aloissia grimaced and doubled over, clutching her head and screaming.
“Aaargh!”
“Your Highness?”
Alarmed, Cassius rushed to the Crown Princess. But she seemed oblivious to his presence, writhing in pain.
“Aaargh!”
The whites of the Crown Princess’s eyes turned red, and veins bulged on her smooth skin.
Cassius’s brow furrowed.
‘This is…’
A seizure.
A symptom experienced by Espers suffering from mana instability due to lack of Guiding.
“Heuk!”
He had seen similar cases in Bedua. But he had never seen an Esper in such a severe state. Cassius hurriedly approached her, intending to purify her.
“Uh, ha!”
“Quickly, take my hand.”
The Crown Princess, tearfully clutching her chest, looked at Cassius. Her eyes met his, and she stumbled backward.
“Don’t look… Ugh, don’t look at me!”
Her frail body swayed like a reed. Was she ashamed of her appearance? She desperately tried to cover her face.
“Stay away!”
“Calm down. I won’t come any closer.”
Cassius stopped and tried to soothe her. But Aloissia didn’t seem to hear him. Gasping as if her heart were being ripped out, she suddenly clutched her head once again.
“My head… My head hurts so much… My head…”
Tears streamed down Aloissia’s bloodshot eyes. Losing her balance, she stumbled backward and collided with the Crown Prince’s coffin.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
The Crown Princess collapsed, and the lid of the coffin fell open. She hit the coffin and slumped to the floor.
“Ugh, ha, ugh!”
The Crown Princess curled up on the floor, gasping. The pain from the seizure seemed far more intense than the impact from the fall. If this continued, she might lose consciousness.
‘That won’t do.’
Cassius assessed the situation coolly. His initial surprise at her seizure quickly gave way to the urgent need to stabilize her.
Bedua, he needed the Crown Princess’s power. It wouldn’t do for her to become a madwoman here. He rushed towards her to help.
As he passed the Crown Prince’s coffin…
Cassius froze, his gaze fixed on the coffin.
“How…”
“Aaargh!”
As Cassius stared at the coffin, murmuring in disbelief, Aloissia’s scream echoed over his voice.
Cassius turned away from the coffin and approached the Crown Princess. He knelt down to meet her eyes.
“Your Highness, pull yourself together. Do you recognize me?”
“Uh… Ha… Ha…”
Aloissia, her face cupped in Cassius’s hands, whimpered and moaned. With her disheveled hair and tear-streaked face, she looked completely different from the composed woman he had met earlier.
“S-Save me…”
The pitiful Esper, begging for her life, her tongue struggling to form the words she wanted to utter.
The woman, pleading with desperate eyes, clung to Cassius. Tears overflowed as she looked at him.
“Save… me.”
“You asked for it.”
Cassius murmured and brought his face close to hers.
The deeper the physical connection, the more potent the Guide’s purification. In Aloissia’s current state, simply holding hands or embracing wouldn’t be enough.
So, Cassius kissed her deeply. The moment his lips met hers…
Her eyes widened, and her pupils glowed brightly. It was a sign that the purification was working.
Relieved, Cassius closed his eyes and deepened the kiss, his hand cupping her chin.
“Gasp…!”
As the kiss deepened, Aloissia’s mind, previously clouded like a misty shore, began to clear.
‘What am I doing?’
Aloissia blinked, coming back to her senses. Even as her mind cleared, his thick, wet tongue tangled with hers.